(London) CAGE is outraged by the arrest of our Outreach Director, Moazzam Begg. A former Guantanamo Bay detainee, he has been campaigning for due process and the human rights of victims, despite suffering over three years of torture and abuse by the US government with the complicity of the British security services.

This latest action is designed to ensure that any travel to Syria is deemed suspicious. It follows a concerted campaign of harassment against Muslim individuals and charities involved in providing humanitarian aid to the victims of the Syrian crisis. Moazzam Begg is just the latest individual drawn by the humanitarian catastrophe in Syria who has been labelled a terrorist .The purpose is to intimidate and vilify the wider Muslim community so that they are prevented from delivering much needed aid to the Syrian people.

Moazzam is an internationally recognised figure on issues relating to due process and human rights. His advocacy on behalf of the Guantanamo Bay detainees has been recognised across the world, resulting in various governments accepting detainees who could not be returned to their countries of origin.

Cerie Bullivant, Media Officer of CAGE said:

“Moazzam has been very open about his international travel and his objectives, including importantly exposing British complicity in rendition and torture. The timing of Moazzam‘s arrest given his travel to Syria took place in December 2012 requires a detailed explanation. The timing coincides with the planned release of a CAGE report on Syria and a major news piece that was due to be televised soon. As with David Miranda it seems those who are engaged in exposing abuse of powers are targeted and smeared to prevent disclosure of vital evidence.”

“We are also concerned that the Police and the security services are using the wide scope of terrorism laws, and applying them in Syria to set precedents that will make legitimate activity unlawful in future.”

Asim Qureshi, Research Director of CAGE said:

“CAGE calls on all defenders of civil liberties and the rule of law to stand up and protest against the serious curtailment of yet another victim. The message may be unpalatable to those who wish to shroud their abuse in secrecy but that can never justify an attack on the messengers.”

“We are disgusted that Moazzam Begg is being retraumatised with the same guilt by association accusations that resulted in his unlawful incarceration in Guantanamo Bay. We fully support our colleague and see his arrest as politically motivated and as part of a campaign to criminalise legitimate activism.”

NOTES:

1. CAGE (formerly known as CagePrisoners) is an independent advocacy organisation that works to empower communities affected by the War on Terror and to highlight abuses of prisoners’ rights.

2. For further information on our work on Syria, please refer to these articles by Moazzam Begg:

In December 2010 GA prisoners staged a brief strike, asking for their rights as men and human beings. They depended, and still depend on support from outside, support that is yet to be organized. How much longer will they wait?

Voices in the community were raised, and demanded to meet with the governor or his representatives in support of the prisoners. We at Black Agenda Report and the Georgia Green Party were among those voices and attended some of those meetings

Three years and a couple months ago, prisoners in multiple institutions in Georgia went on strike, peacefully refusing to leave their dorms and cells for work details or meals. The demands of the prisoners were remarkably simple.

They wanted educational and job training opportunities including literacy training for those who could not read.

They insisted on adequate food and real medical care.

They demanded some transparency in the way the authorities handled inmate funds, prisoner grievances, the adjudication of alleged offenses committed by prisoners, and in release and parole decision making.

The prisoners were black and they were white and they were Latino. They were Rastas and Muslims and Christians and no religion at all. They belonged to this or that street organization, or to none. They stood up for each other and for those who could not stand at all, and they reached out to the communities from which they'd come for support.

A number of voices in the community were raised, and demanded to meet with the governor or his representatives in support of the prisoners. We at Black Agenda Report and the Georgia Green Party were among those voices and attended some of those meetings. We succeeded in getting an unprecedented delegation of citizens a couple of visits to two state prisons at which they were able to question staff and inmates more or less freely, and a report on what the delegation discovered was promised.

The report never happened. The governor's office enticed some members of the community coalition to abandon it in return for patronage dished out via the state's re-entry programs. Some of those who remained refused to call public meetings or work productively with each other. As a result, no substantial organized force called itself into being outside the walls to support the efforts of those inside the walls.

State authorities reacted with savage near-fatal beatings of inmates in several institutions, some of which we covered in Black Agenda Report, for which some correctional officers have been indicted and tried. A number of prisoners from around the state were immediately confined in administrative segregation, an exceptionally harsh prison within the state prison at Jackson, the prison at which Troy Davis was executed [4] in 2011, where some have remained ever since.

Brutal retaliation by state authorities has provoked more than one hunger strike since then. The latest such incident was reported in the national African American newspaper San Francisco Bay View [5] in early February. The story named the following prisoners in Jackson's prison within a prison, as having begun a hunger strike on February 9, and concluded thusly:

“Ultimately, there is very little that the prisoners can do to find the muscle to fight for their rights. Prisoners feel their only choice is to put their lives in danger by refusing to eat. Staff are even threatening the prisoners – that if they stay on the hunger strike, they will die under their watch and it would be no problem to cover it up.

These prisoners are pleading for some true outside support – from newspapers, world newspapers, magazines, television shows, pen pal services and any organizations.

Please contact the prisoners on strike. To write them messages of support and encouragement, use the names and Georgia Department of Corrections (GDC) numbers shown below and the address, GDCSP SMU, P.O. Box 3877, Jackson GA 30233.”

Tamarcus Wright, GDC#1070891

LaMarcus Thomas, GDC#1075958

Isaiah Meadows, GDC#1202688

Rodrick Henderson, GDC#294536

Robert Watkins, GDC#1245402

Ernesto Catillo, GDC#1291603

Rickey Mosley, GDC#1218550

Malachi Jenkins, GDC#725779

Anthony Parker, GDC#10065811

Hjolmar Rodriguez, GDC#1036561

I can do that. I'll write each of them a brief letter this week, and a couple more to some other prisoners I haven't spoken to in a while. Bet can get at least a dozen friends to do the same in the course of the coming week. It would be helpful if some of our readers did the same.

You can call the institution at 770) 504-2000 , and ask politely to leave a message of concern at the warden's office, with your return phone number. I guess I'll do that too. I hope readers at Black Agenda Report will do this too.

In the next few weeks there will be a number of meetings around Atlanta aimed at pulling together a political force that will stand up for the rights of people behind the walls and their families. It's no sense lying about this, we are starting from almost nothing. When the prisoners behind those walls stand up now, there is next to nothing, no dependable allies and forces for them to work with or rely upon. This has to change.

Our traditional “civil rights organizations” like to make statements on mass incarceration, now that they've learned that phrase. They spend a lot of time denouncing Republicans for being immoral. But standing up with the families of prisoners, and for the rights of those locked up now is something they shy away from. Maybe they see themselves as members of a different social class from that which prisoners and their families come from.

Maybe they're right. Maybe that's why leadership on this issue is going to have to come from somewhere else.

Bruce A. Dixon is managing editor at Black Agenda Report, and a state committee member of the GA Green Party. He can be reached at bruce.dixon(at)blackagendareport.com or via this site's contact [6] page.

Havana, Feb 28 (Prensa Latina) [2014]The Cuban anti-terrorist fighter Fernando Gonzalez Llort returned to Cuba today after completing a long and unfair sentence in the United States (U.S).

Gonzalez left yesterday the federal correctional center of Safford, in Arizona, and appeared before the immigration services to start the process of deportation to Cuba, where he arrived this Friday, by noon.He is the second of the group internationally known as The Five that fulfills the sentence imposed, after Rene Gonzalez.Fernando, René, Gerardo Hernández, Antonio Guerrero y Ramón Labañino were arrested in 1998 when they were monitoring groups that in U.S territory planned and carried out terrorist actions against Cuba.Gerardo, Antonio and Ramon remain in U.S prisons, despite de broad worldwide campaign that demands their freedom.

"Every ten or eleven people that you meet, someone is going to either know someone in prison, has been in prison with a record, or you met them and they are going off to prison," says Michael Stoll, co-author of Why are so Many Americans in Prison?

ReasonTV's Tracy Oppenheimer sat down with Stoll to discuss why incarceration rates and associated prison costs in America have exploded in the last few decades, and possible ways to reform the system.

"That increase [in incarceration rates] that we saw, 80 percent of that through our analysis, was driven by policy changes, not by the increased criminality of citizens in the United States," says Stoll. "One of the things that I think needs to be done—and we know that this is politically difficult—is there has to be reform in sentencing."

what is Freedom of Speech? and why is it relevant to society?

Most people respond that freedom of speech is the right to say whatever you want or to voice your own opinion. While this makes all of you feel better knowing you wont be murdered by your government for speaking your mind, this is just a minor point in its relevancy to society. Few people realize that actions are really what enables society to progress through freedom of speech.

MLK's 'I have a dream speech' was not nearly as important as the simple act of a black man, in those times, walking up to the podium to speak for the oppressed. Freedom of speech is changing your online habits to avoid NSA spying. Freedom of speech is all of the small choices you make daily that you don't even think about.

In the age of the internet people still fail to realize that real life and internet, while connected, are not one and the same. On the internet you are given the choice to choose how you represent yourself. In real life you are represented by the way you look, by the color of your skin, by the clothes you wear, by your accent, by your gender and many other arbitrary things. On the internet none of these things matter. Considering this imagine an account on twitter had images of swastikas and they said the word "nigger." Most people pass by that account assuming they are inherently racist. The internet is made up of free speech and symbolism displayed on a screen. Its not made up of anything tangible. Its 2013 and people are still offended by words and symbols on a screen. 4chan has used words and symbolism not to define itself but to keep out the people that have failed to understand them in real life. People that don't get there jokes and fail to grasp the simple ideas spread around. Maybe the twitter account posting swastikas just wanted to offend you and keep you out of their mentions.

Recently @anon_central was suspended for allegedly d0xing someone. First off the person posting most of that was being an idiot but they didn't d0x anyone. What was posted was a link that was in the top search on google.com. They also did not create the images posted. Were they suspended for linking content that already existed? Are you going to be happy when you get suspended for posting a link that you found on google? Did they cause you to have feels and butthurts? Or did they create a platform in which people discussed other relevant issues about rape that rarely get discussed?

Even the "negatives" of free speech are relevant to society. Freedom of speech doesn't mean you get to choose who gets to use it.

Recent revelations about NSA spying have back the terrible phrase, "If you have nothing to hide, you have nothing to fear." this is a statement that gets put out without any real rebuttal to why or how it is so detrimental to the growth of society. We know that people willing give up liberty for security in our "Free" society. I feel they would be less inclined to if they knew the harm it caused. Spying is censorship. If you believe that everything you type up on a digital device, or the words you say on a cell phone are be listened to you will begin to censor yourself. You start becoming afraid that the people spying may not understand what it is you are trying to say and think you have malicious intent. We have seen this happen too many times. We have the Facebook rapper, the Tumblr experiment, the airport sandwich guy and so on. Spying forces people to revoke their own freedom of expressionVideo Source & Subscribe to:http://www.youtube.com/user/MrWangy2008https://www.youtube.com/user/kryptony...Anonymous is for Freedomhttp://www.facebook.com/OffiziellAnon...https://twitter.com/AnonymousPage1We are Anonymous,We are Legion.We do not forgive.We do not forget.Expect us.

Thursday, 27 February 2014

Per medical staff @ Central Prison; Terrance does not qualify for a theuraputic mattress, physical therapy, etc. despite what MRI/CT/X-Rays have been proving. Per Ms. Boston @ Central Prison, nurses have access to prescribe inmates medication without the doctor seeing the inmate, they have access to renew prescription orders without the doctor checking the pt. Symptoms changes every day and doctors outside of the prison gates DO NOT give nurses access to write a prescription order to their patients nor are the patients allowed to get a prescription order without seeing the doctor so why should medical staff within the prison have such privileges to do such. Our loved ones are NOT guinea pigs so stop using them to try out these drugs. The medical staff are slowly killing our friends, family, and loved ones. I was informed by prison staff if Terrance isn't receiving adequate medical care he's to file a grievance; WHT? Why should these inmates have to file a grievance at all; just give them the adequate medical attention then further problems could be avoided. Medical staff gives Terrance Neurotin & Baclofen.

Why Didn’t Federal Judge strengthen the jury instructions to clarify whether there was intent by the IRP6 to commit a crime, ponders A Just Cause

Denver, CO (PRWEB) February 27, 2014

The IRP6 case concerns an African-American company (IRP Solutions Corporation) in Colorado that developed the Case Investigative Life Cycle (CILC) criminal investigations software for federal, state, and local law enforcement. The IRP6 (Kendrick Barnes, Gary L Walker, Demetrius K. Harper, Clinton A Stewart, David A Zirpolo and David A Banks) were convicted in 2011 after being accused of mail and wire fraud. (D. Ct. No. 1:09-CR-00266-CMA). The IRP6 have been incarcerated for over 18 months in federal prison in Florence, Colorado while their case is under appeal.

Court records show that the IRP6 challenged the proposed jury instructions but their challenge was denied by federal Judge Christine Arguello. Records show that the IRP6 requested that the jury instructions include a definition of scheme to defraud and that the jury instructions would elaborate on the term “intent."

Court transcripts show that David Banks argued before the court regarding jury instructions. “I want to at least get on the record for the moment, Your Honor, …we presented our definition as far as ‘scheme to defraud’ was concerned. And we would ask that, …Your Honor, that the standard definition that is a part of the mail fraud Instruction 4, under U.S.C. 1341(b), annotated as is in that statute”, argued David Banks, IRP Solutions COO (IRP6). “And I guess we question -- this looks like a -- now the Government has made what looks like a substantial change to the way the statute currently reads," Banks elaborated (D. Ct. No. 1:09-CR-00266-CMA, 27 September 2011).

According to transcripts of the trial, Judge Arguello rejected the IPR6 request to provide clarification in the jury instructions regarding “intent.” “The defendants' competing instruction on that included lengthy definitions of "specific intent to defraud" and "materiality." The specific intent proposed by the defendants was "an evil ambition to deceive or swindle or to deprive someone of something of value and to cause financial harm." And the Court found that definition to be confusing and an unnecessary substitute for the Tenth Circuit Pattern Instructions," states Judge Christine Arguello, Federal Judge, United States District Court for the District of Colorado (D. Ct. No. 1:09-CR-00266-CMA, 27 September 2011). “The Tenth Circuit has observed that "The term 'specific intent' is often confusing, requiring further elaboration to clarify precisely what the accused must know and intend," added Arguello (D. Ct. No. 1:09-CR-00266-CMA, 27 September 2011).

Court records further show that Judge Arguello stated, “I also found it unnecessary to include the defendants' proffered instruction entitled "mistake, negligence and recklessness," because it contains overly broad statements of the law, and would be distracting to the jury.” (D. Ct. No. 1:09-CR-00266-CMA, 27 September 2011)

According to the court transcript, the IRP6 argued that it was important that the jury instructions elaborate on the subject of “intent." “…Obviously the underpinnings of our defense will be based on that specific intent," petitioned Banks. “And the reasons we engaged in the business we engaged in, the reason we engaged staffing companies in the first place, obviously is going to go to the core of the specific intent to defraud. We just don't think that the intent to defraud clearly annotates that specific intent of requirement. So that would be our objection," Banks objecting to the judges comments that further clarification of “intent” was “unnecessary." Court records show that Judge Arguello denied the request of the IRP6 (D. Ct. No. 1:09-CR-00266-CMA, 27 September 2011).

“Providing clarification is exactly what the IRP6 wanted to do," asserts Sam Thurman, A Just Cause. “According to the transcript, it doesn’t appear that the Tenth Circuit prohibits using the term ‘specific intent’, it seems that they have stated that it requires further elaboration. We question why IRP6’s request to ‘elaborate’ was rejected," adds Thurman.

The Congressional Research Service (CRS) compiled a report for Congress on mail and wire fraud. The report included a section on elements of mail and wire fraud. The CRS report states, “Intent: Under both statutes (mail and wire), intent to defraud requires a willful act by the defendant with the intent to deceive or cheat, usually, but not necessarily, for the purpose of getting financial gain for one’s self or causing financial loss to another. A defendant has a complete defense if he believes the (alleged) deceptive statements or promises to be true or otherwise acts in good faith. A defendant has no such defense, however, if he blinds himself to the truth. Nor is it a defense if he intends to deceive but feels his victim will ultimately profit or be unharmed.” (Congressional Research Service: Mail and Wire Fraud: An Abridged Overview of Federal Criminal Law, Charles Doyle, Senior Specialist in American Public Law, July 21, 2011, http://www.fas.org/sgp/crs/misc/R41931.pdf)

“According to the Congressional Research Service, an element of mail/wire fraud clearly calls out ‘intent’. The fact that the judge did not allow elaboration on this subject in the jury instructions is troubling and makes one wonder if the jury had been provided additional definitions and/or explanation, would they have returned a different verdict," ponders Thurman.

A Just Cause is an advocacy group that is examining the case of the IRP6. “A Just Cause is troubled by cases like the IRP6 where there are several apparent irregularities," states Thurman. “When we look at the compilation of findings in this case, it makes the organization push even harder for an inquiry or investigation into the initial investigation, the indictment and the trial of the IRP6," concludes Thurman.

This 16-minute inmate education video is designed to help adult prisons, jails, and lockups to meet the inmate education requirements of the Department of Justice's National Standards to Prevent, Detect, and Respond to Prison Rape (§§115.33 and 115.132).

The video includes an introductory section that can be used during intake. The intake education portion of the film informs incoming inmates about a facility's zero-tolerance policy on sexual abuse and ways that victims can report. The full video can be used to provide a comprehensive inmate education program, which covers the definition of sexual abuse and sexual harassment, the absolute right of inmates to be free from such violence, agency policies and procedures toward preventing and responding to it, and how inmates can get support and medical and mental health care after an assault.

The video features a range of experts, including prisoner rape survivors, former PREA inmate peer educators, advocates, and corrections officials. Because inmate education should be facility-specific, the video has information that is applicable to all adult detention settings.

Columbia University School of Social Work, 1255 Amsterdam Avenue, Manhattan(between120th and 121st Streets)

Our panel will take place at 4:00 to 5:30 p.m.

The number of incarcerated elders in New York and nationally continues to rise as people with long sentences age. Yet incarcerated elders pose the lowest risk to public safety and could contribute mightily to bettering our communities. How does continued incarceration and perpetual punishment affect elders, their families, friends and communities? AND: How can we win their release and heal our families and communities?

Students from schools, colleges and universities across England tell education secretary Michael Gove why he is right to act now to end female genital mutilation. Gathered together for a youth forum run by women's health charity Forward they used music and poetry to raise awareness about the practice

A Just Cause continues to seek intervention of key legislators and Justice Department Officials in the case of the IRP6

Denver, Colorado (PRWEB) February 25, 2014

The IRP6 case concerns an African-American company (IRP Solutions Corporation) in Colorado that developed the Case Investigative Life Cycle (CILC) criminal investigations software for federal, state, and local law enforcement. The IRP6 (Kendrick Barnes, Gary L Walker, Demetrius K. Harper, Clinton A Stewart, David A Zirpolo and David A Banks) were convicted in 2011 after being accused of mail and wire fraud. (D. Ct. No. 1:09-CR-00266-CMA). The IRP6 have been incarcerated for over 18 months in federal prison in Florence, Colorado while their case is under appeal.

A Just Cause is an advocacy group that has attempted to get federal legislators and justice department officials to open an investigation into the IRP6 case. Court documents show that the case is currently under appeal. Records show that Attorneys for A Just Cause are petitioning the courts for release of over 200 pages of transcripts that were omitted from court records of the IRP6 trial. Appellant filings show that Court Reporter Darlene Martinez omitted 200 pages of transcript which the IRP6 argue are critical to their appeal. (D. Ct. No. 1:09-CR-00266-CMA; Case Nos: NO. 11-1487, Case Nos. 11-1488, 11-1489, 11-1490, 11-1491 and 11-1492)

“A Just Cause has reached out to several legislators and Justice Department offices to intervene in this matter”, cites Sam Thurman, A Just Cause. “We have heard it stated over and over that this is a strange case that should be investigated”, added Thurman. In a radio interview, Mark Geragos, Attorney for A Just Cause and IRP6 stated, “I was fascinated by the issue. At first I was somewhat aghast and didn’t really believe (the story) the way it had been portrayed to me, but we dug into and drilled down in it,…and the transcript has mysteriously disappeared”, adds Geragos. “Thirty-one years and this is the first time that I have ever encountered a federal court transcript disappearing”, Geragos expounds. (“Inside The Issues with Dr. Wilmer Leon, Sirius XM, Channel 110, 12/7/13). Gwendolyn Solomon, Appellant Attorney for the IRP6 cited, “According to the judge’s ruling, she decided that the gentlemen did not need a copy of the unedited version of the transcript” (“Inside The Issues with Dr. Wilmer Leon, Sirius XM, Channel 110, 12/7/13).

“It is troubling when matters as significant as 200 pages of missing transcript are trivialized and are not apparently important enough to investigate”, states Thurman. “The Administrative Office of the Unites States Courts simply pushed the matter back to the district where the issues lie. What about oversight by someone outside of the district”, questions Thurman. “Aside from the arguments regarding the Court Reporters Act, one would think that at a minimum, this situation should be investigated based on the Judiciary Policy governing Code of Conduct”, asserts Thurman.

In a letter from the Administrative Office of the United States Courts to A Just Cause, Director Bates writes, “The Court Reporters Statute, 28 U.S.C. 753c, states that, ‘The reporters shall be subject to the supervision of the appointing court and the Judicial Conference in the performance of their duties, including dealings with parties requesting transcripts’. The Administrative Office has no supervisory authority over staff court reporters in the federal courts and matters involving staff reporters are addressed locally by each district court. Furthermore, because your organization is currently engaged in a civil suit against a staff court reporter from the District of Colorado, it would be inappropriate for this office to comment on the matter”. (Administrative Office of the United States Courts letter to A Just Cause, October 4, 2013)

“The response from the Administrative Office of the United States Courts seems to be inconsistent with the Canons of the Code of Conduct and A Just Cause asks that the office of U.S. Courts revisits this matter and presses for an immediate investigation based on code of conduct violations”, emphasizes Thurman.

The Guide to Judiciary Policy, Code of Conduct cites, “Canon 1: A Judicial Employee Should Uphold the Integrity and Independence of the Judiciary and of the Judicial Employee's Office; Canon 2: A Judicial Employee Should Avoid Impropriety and the Appearance of Impropriety in All Activities; Canon 3: A Judicial Employee Should Adhere to Appropriate Standards in Performing the Duties of the Office” (Canons 4 and 5 NA). (Guide to Judiciary Policy, Vol 2, Ethics and Judicial Conduct, Codes of Conduct, § 320 Text of the Code, Administrative Office of the U.S. Courts, August 2, 2013, http://www.uscourts.gov/Viewer.aspx?doc=/uscourts/RulesAndPolicies/conduct/Vol02A-Ch03.pdf).

According to the Guide to Judiciary Policy, Code of Conduct, “This Code of Conduct applies to all employees of the judicial branch, including interns, externs, and other volunteer court employees, except it does not apply to Justices; judges; and employees of the United States Supreme Court, the Administrative Office of the United States Courts, the Federal Judicial Center, the Sentencing Commission, and federal public defender offices”. (Guide to Judiciary Policy, Vol 2, Ethics and Judicial Conduct, Codes of Conduct, § 310.10 Scope, Administrative Office of the U.S. Courts, August 2, 2013, http://www.uscourts.gov/Viewer.aspx?doc=/uscourts/RulesAndPolicies/conduct/Vol02A-Ch03.pdf).

“A Just Cause didn’t stop at the Administrative Office of the U.S. Courts but has reached out to Attorney General Eric Holder, the Congressional Black Caucus, Senator John McCain, Congressman John Conyers, Congressman John Lewis, DOJ Office of Professional Responsibility, DOJ Civil Rights Division, DOJ Criminal Division, DOJ Executive Office of United States Attorneys, as well as others, and the replies are echoed”, says Thurman. “Somehow our government leaders have misinterpreted a request for an investigation, as a request to disregard ethics rules. When in fact, A Just Cause is asking that ethics and codes of conduct be enforced. This is not about showing favors or intervening in litigation, but rather holding people accountable; especially people who are tasked with operating our courts”, Thurman concludes.

For more information about the story of the IRP6 or for copies of the legal filings go to http://www.freetheirp6.org. Appellate Court panel includes the Honorable Senior Judge Bobby R. Baldock, Honorable Judge Harris L. Hartz, and Honorable Judge Jerome A. Holmes

Welcome To My World

About Me

DARCY D= YOU MUST BELIEVE.STANDING UP FOR THE INNOCENT C.E.O
The United Kingdom resident champions causes of the voiceless, the powerless and the weak, particularly in North America. She campaigns for petitions on behalf of incarcerated human trafficking.